Air evacuator for plastic bags



Nov. 30, 1954 s. HALEY AIR EVACUATOR FOR. PLASTIC BAGS Filed June 16, 1953 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent() M AIR EVACUATOR FOR PLASTIC BAGS Stephen L. Haley, Walsenburg, Colo. Application June 16, 1953, Serial No. 362,005`

` s claims. (ci. zza-57) Plastic bags are coming more and more into general use, and are becoming widely used, for example, as food bags utilized when foods of various kinds are to be stored in home freezers or frozen food lockers. Further, bags of this type have been found eicient in protecting household items and wearing apparel from moths, dust, and tarnish.

In this connection, it is well recognized that when food or other itemssubject to spoilage are to be preserved in plastic bags, it is highly desirable that all air be evacuated from the bag, before it is sealed. For example, it is well known that light and air speed the development of rancidity in fat, and it is clearly desirable, accordingly, that fatty foods, when placed in plastic bags, be sealed in a space from which air has been evacuated to a maximum extent, after which the bagged food item is stored in a dark place, as for example, in a frozen food locker.

The importance of evacuating air from plastic food bags is well appreciated in the art, and in some instances, air is forced out of the bag before it is sealed by immersing the bagged food into a vat of water, while holding the mouth end of the bag in a manner that will be effective to prevent water from entering the same. Thereafter, the user quickly twists the mouth end of the bag after the air has been forced out.

In other instances, the general practice is to merely squeeze as much air as possible out of plastic bags, with invention, in this connection, is so designed as to permit the bag to be securely tied while it is still sealably engaged with the pump casing, after which the bag can be easily disconnected from the pump.

Another object of importance is to provide means of the character referred to which will be adapted for sealably engaging bags of different sizes with a single suction pump. i

Another object of importance is to provide air evacuating means usable with a suction pump, which will be inexpensive, and will be applicable to or removable from the bag with minimum diculty and minimum loss of time.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view through a suction pump, air evacuator formed in accordance -with the present invention, and plastic bag, portions of the bag and pump being broken away;

Figure 2 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of the pump, air evacuating means, and plastic bag, the bag again being shown fragmentarily;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of the pump and air evacuating means, taken from the left of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Figure l; and

Figure 5 is a sectional View on line 5-5 of Figure 1.

The reference numeral has been applied generally to a suction pump, which is basically conventional in design, said pump including a cylindrical, elongated casing 12 closed at one end by a cap 14. The cap 14 is of 2,695,741 Patented Nov. 310, 1954 double walled formation, having aligned openings in which a plunger or stem 16 is guided, said plunger being reciprocable longitudinally and centrally of `the casing. The plunger has one end projecting out of the casing, and attached to said end is a hand knob 18, to facilitate manual operation of the plunger.

That end of the plunger 16 that is disposed Within the casing 12 is provided with a piston 20, said piston being of conventional formation and being peripherally and sealably engaged with the casing wall.

A disc 22 is disposed within the casing 12, and is pro" vided with spaced apertures 24. The apertures 24, as shown in Figure 5, are spaced circumferentially of thel disc 22, extending Within the marginal area of the disc. A center opening 26 is formed in a flanged cap 28, said cap 28 having internal threads engageable with exterior threads formed upon the adjacent end of the casing 12.

lt will be understood that when the plunger 16 is shifted in the direction of the arrows in Figure l, that is, away from the disc 22, air will be drawn inwardly through the opening 26, the disc 22 moving away from the cap 28 to permit the air to pass through said opening 26, and through the openings 24. This causes the air to be evacuated from a plastic bag B into which the pump extends.

On the down stroke of the piston, the disc 22 will be forced against the cap 28, preventing reverse flow of air into the bag.

It is thus seen that by reciprocation of the piston, air will be swiftly evacuated from the bag, if the mouth end of said bag is sealably engaged about the pump.

Fitted upon the cylindrical casing 12 is a relatively elongated sleeve 30 formed of a soft, deformable, sealing material such as rubber. The sleeve 30, at one end, abuts against an annular washer 32, said washer 32 being engaged against the adjacent edge of the peripheral flange of cap 28.

At its other end, the sleeve 30 abuts against an ear 34 extending laterally and outwardly from the casing. 12, said ear being rigidly secured to the casing. The ear 34 thus cooperates with the cap 28 and washer 32, in preventlig endwise movement of sleeve 30' upon the casing Integral or otherwise made rigid with the ear 34 is a spring clip 38, said clip extending longitudinally of the casing 12. A flexible element, such as a string or cord 36, is tied at one end to the ear 34, the other end of said ilexible element being releasably engageable between the clip and the adjacent casing wall as best shown in Figures 1 and 2.

In use of the invention, a plastic bag B is iitted over the sleeve 30, the mouth end of the bag being extended for a substantial part of the length of the sleeve, preferably. The flexible element 36 is then wound about the mouth end of the bag, thus to force the material of the bag against the sleeve 30, in such a manner as to compress the sleeve and sealably engage the mouth of the bag about the sleeve (see Figure l). Thereafter, the free end of le exible element 36 is releasably engaged by the clip The air can now be evacuted from the bag B, and after the operation is completed, a short length of cord C is used (Figure 2) below the pump-engaged portion of the bag, to tie the bag tightly. After the bag has been tied so as to be fully closed, the flexible element. 36 is unwound, releasing the mouth end of the bag from the sleeve 30.

Obviously, the invention can be used for evacuating air from bags of various types, not only plastic food bags used in home freezers or frozen food lockers, but also bags in which garments and other items are to be stored. In most instances, anything which is to be stored will keep better if air is evacuated from the space surrounding the same.

lt is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily conned to the specic use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be .necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, sinee such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devisedl to carry'out `said principles, it being change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

Whaty is claimed is.:

l. An air evacuator. for plastic -bags comprising, Vin v combinationhwith atsuction pump,"a sleeve formed of a,

soft,; deformable,' sealing'y materialand lcircumposed about .the casing of the pump, saidsleeve being eXtend-lv soft, deformable, sealing material and circumposed-aboutw the casing `of the pump,saidsleeveV being extendable into the mouth endtof the bag from which air is to `be evacuated; an ear projecting laterally from-the pump casing; a exible element: connected at one end to` said ear and windable about saidmouth end of the bag for sealably engaging the same against the sleeve; and va spring clip on the casinglfor releasablyholding the other end 'of said v element after the same has been Wound about the sleeve. 3. An airl evacuator for ,plastic bags comprising, in combination' with a suctionl pump, a sleeve formed of a soft, deformable, sealing material and circumposed about the casingof `the pump,-said sleeve being extendable-intow the mouth end of the bag from which air is to be evacuated; an ear projecting laterally from the pump casing; a flexible element connected at one end to said ear aud windable about said mouth end of the bag for sealably engaging the same against the sleeve; a spring clip on the casing for releasably holding-the other end of said element after, the same has been Wound about the sleeve, said spring 'clip being Aintegrati Withsaid ear and projecting longitudinally of -the casing `in a direction away from the sleeve; an abutment extending circumferentially of the casing andengaging one end of the sleeveto hold the sleeve against movement longitudinally of the casing, said ear engaging the otherendlof the sleeve to cooperate with said abutment in restraining the sleeve against longitudinal movement; and cap means on the pump casing engaging the abutment to provide a stop for holding the same against movement lengthwise of the casing.

References Cited in the tile of this patent.. 1f

UNITED'sTATES PATENTS.

Number., NameA u Date 1,491,562 Stearns Apr. 22, 1924* 2,335,738 Casey Nov. 30, 1934 2,368,624 Walton Feb.'6, `1945 

